Tigers welcome back Robinson

AUBURN, Ala. {AP} Auburn receiver Clifton Robinson was welcomed back to the football team Saturday, one day after pleading guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

"Clifton is back on the team," coach Tommy Tuberville said. "He and I will sit down today and I'll tell him that we do things right around here, so he can expect there will be some punishment. What it is, I don't know yet."

Robinson, 21, was accused of having sex with a 15-year-old girl who was visiting her sister in Auburn in March. He avoided going to his scheduled Aug. 23 trial by pleading guilty Friday to the lesser, misdemeanor charge.

Lee County District Attorney Nick Abbott said Robinson, a junior from Naples, Fla., was given a one-year suspended sentence and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.

His guilty plea came on the same day Auburn's varsity players reported back to campus. Robinson had been suspended from the team since last March when the charges against him were filed.

He was expected to be back on the football field in time for Monday's workout, which made Tuberville happy. The Tigers are thin on receivers this season and Robinson was the returning leader in all-purpose yards with 943. He was also second on the team with 42 catches for 672 yards last season.

"I am overjoyed to see Clifton coming back to the football team," quarterback Gabe Gross said. "We needed him back and it's good to see he could get his legal troubles straightened out and get back to us."

Abbott said the plea agreement came at the request of the girl and her mother, who both wished to avoid a trial.

Robinson had maintained his innocence up until the plea, claiming he believed the girl was 18.

The girl had previously admitted to using her older sister's identification to attend a 21-and-over nightclub and had played in an Auburn intramural softball league ostensibly reserved for college students.